Senior Software Engineer II, AI Labs & Foundations

ABOUT THE ROLE We're seeking a highly skilled Senior Software Engineer II to join our AI Labs & Foundations team at Instacart. As a critical member of our team, you will play a key role in designing, building, and operating high-scale production systems that power our most ambitious AI experiences. Your expertise will shape products used by millions of customers every day, driving innovation and excellence in the grocery industry. WHAT YOU'LL DO As a Senior Software Engineer II, you will participate in the design and delivery of production AI systems, identify high-leverage technical opportunities, and contribute hands-on to AI-native products across Instacart's platform. Your responsibilities will include: - Designing, building, and operating production AI-powered systems and agentic experiences that directly impact how millions of customers shop. - Building foundational systems for cutting-edge AI experiences, ranging from embedding infrastructure and voice AI pipelines to client-facing components and integrations. - Integrating foundation models via APIs and open-source frameworks, applying techniques like retrieval-augmented generation and vector search where appropriate. - Owning projects end-to-end, from requirements to implementation, testing, deployment, observability, and iterative improvement focused on reliability, latency, and cost efficiency. - Collaborating with cross-functional partners in product, design, data science, and infrastructure to ship AI features end-to-end. - Driving engineering excellence, including thoughtful system design, rigorous code review, and technical leadership that defines and promotes best practices for AI/ML production engineering across the team. WHAT YOU'LL NEED To succeed in this role, you will need: - Proven experience as a senior software engineer who has built, shipped, and operated production systems at scale. - Hands-on experience with AI or ML in production, including shipping LLM-powered features or integrating foundation model APIs into a live product. - Experience owning services end-to-end, including CI/CD, automated testing, observability, and on-call participation. - Strong communication skills and the ability to partner well across disciplines. - Excitement and ability to leverage cutting-edge development tools, including AI assistance, to maximize velocity. WHY REMOTE Instacart is a Flex First team, offering the flexibility to choose where you do your best work, whether it's from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop. We prioritize building community through regular in-person events and staying connected with our team members. BENEFITS Instacart offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: - Competitive salary - Flexible schedule - Comprehensive health plan - Parental leave - Education stipend - Life insurance - Equipment stipend - Opportunities for professional growth and development